Combined adjustable clothes hanger and pants holder



v A. MAcALuso 73,467 COMBINED ADJUSTABLE CLOTHES HANGER AND PANTS HOLDER Oct. 30, 1951 Filed June 7, 1950 INVENTOR. ALFRED MACALUSO BY fizzayxm zz ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 30, 1951 COMBINED ADJUSTABLE CIJO'I'HES HANGER- AND PANTS HOLDER.

Alfred Macaluso,,Bro.0klyn, N. Y. Application June 7, 1950, Serial No. 166.689

Claims. (01.. 223-90) This invention relates generally to adjustable 1 novelty of. the. crosspiece lies in. its adjustable feature: and in the organization. of its associated parts; Ada'ustably movable. along sloping arms of the crosspiece is a pair of shoulder forms whereby the. overall width of; the hanger may be enlarged ordecreased so as to permit the hanger to be used. with a variety of garment sizes. The shoulder forms further aid in keeping the shape of the garment. These shoulder pieces are secured in their various adjusted positions without possibility ofislipping off through means of latches formed by the shoulder pieces in. conjunction with notches in thecrosspiece arms and associated pants holders.

The general object of the invention is an improved type of adjustable clothes hanger that is readily and securely adjustable to accommodate garments of a variety of sizes, and which is formed to support such garments free of wrinkles and in their proper shape.

Another object of the invention is a readily adjustable garment hanger having an adjustable latch in. combination with a pants holder.

A still further object is a clothes hanger having. shoulder forms of an improved type which will not slip from the hanger arms, and which will serve as means for supporting pants holders to the arms of the hanger.

These as well as other objects and advantages of my invention, will become apparent as this specification unfolds in greater detail and as it is read in conjunction with the. accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a preferred form of the invention with some parts in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section of Fig. 1 taken on the lines. 2-2.

Fig. 3' is a. detail perspective view of a shoulder piece with its suspended pants holder.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail directed to the latching feature with the shoulder piece in unlatched or movable position Fig: '6 shows an enlarged view of a pin that may be used'in lieu of the pants holderfor'latching the shoulder piece tothe cross arm.

Fig. 7 represents a view of. another form of the invention;

Referring to the drawings, there is disclosed a crosspiece element I comprising two oppositely sloping similar arms. 2 Rotatable in the center of the crosspiece is a supporting hook 3. Adjustably moveable along each; cross arm is a shoulder form 4. Suspended in a slot 5 that simulates a cane or an inverted hook in each shoulder form is a pants holder 6. Both shoulder forms and pants holders are identical. In the description of the similar parts herein, such as the cross arms 2, the shoulder pieces 4 and the pants holders 6, it is intended that a description of any one of such parts is to suilice. for both.

The crosspiece arms 2 are of wood, though they may well be fashioned of other materials such as plastics or metal. Along thebottom wall 1 of the arms 2 is'a series of open slots or notches 8 uniformly spaced from one another; The arms 2' are adapted to carry the shoulder forms 4.

The shoulder forms are designed to fill out the shoulder portions of a garment so as to maintain the shape of the garment and to otherwise prevent it from sagging or wrinkling. Each shoulderpiece is fashioned of light sheet metal, although it may also be made of other materials, such as firm paperboard or plastics. The shoulder piece curved or convexed along its upper portion 9; It. is wide at the shoulder or free end I'O; It is tapered at the neck or other end II. In this form the shoulder piece simulates the shoulder of a garment and permits a maximum of garment support with a minimum of shoulder sag. or wrinkle. The shoulder form is trough like to keepit light and to allow it to slide along the crosspiece arms 2. The tapered portion ll of the shoulder piece has in its end an oblong slot or opening l2, which communicates with the trough like portion 13 of the shoulder. The cross'piece arms 2 are adapted to slide through this oblong opening. 7

Inv each side wall [4 of the tapered shoulder portion. is the cane or inverted hook slot 5 previously mentioned. The slots 5 in each side wall l4 are opposed. to and aligned with one another. This hook slot 5. comprises a short arm [5, a long arm 16 and a connecting elbow or hump IT. The long arms I6 of slots 5 extend down into extendedv portions. l8 of the side walls I4. The pants holder 6 is suspended. in the hook slots 5 of eachshoulder piece.

The pants holder comprises a hairpin shaped form having a pair of legs 20 connected by a bridge 2|. The hairpin form is fashioned of spring wire or other resilient material, so that the legs 20 have a natural tendency to be spread apart. Securedto the legs is a pair of clamps 22. slidable about the legs is a ring or loop 23 of firm material. The construction of the pants holder is such that when the ring 23 is lowered about the legs 20, the legs together with their associated clamping pieces are drawn together in clamping position. When the rin is raised about the legs to the narrowed portion of the legs 24, the legs spring apart to normal position. The clamps 22 are adapted to secure between them a skirt or the cuffs of a pair of pants. The pants holder is carried by its bridge 2L in the shoulder cane slot 5, and it is capable of moving from the short arm I5 over the hump into the long arm of the slot. I

' 'When the bridge 2| is positioned in the long arm of slot '5, the crossarm 2 is enabled to be assembled to the shoulder piece 4, or if it is already assembled, the shoulder piece may be adjustably moved to any desired notch position along the crossarm.

' In assembling the cross arms 2 to the shoul der forms 4, the cross arm is slid through the oblong slot |2 of the tapered shoulder end into thetrough portion of the shoulder. In moving through the oblong slot the crossarm slides over and above the pants holder bridge 2| which is in the lowermost part of the long slot arm l6 as in Fig. 5. When bridge 2| is contained in the lowermost portion of slot arm |B it is out of and below the crossarm notches B. The crossarm 2 is moved on through the oblong opening |2 until a desired notch 8 is reached. Ndtch 8 will then be in alignment with the cane slots 5 located on both sides of it in the adjacent side walls M. The position of the related parts is such that the upper cross arm wall 25 is virtually in contact with the upper inner shoulder wall 26, while the topmost portion of notch 8 is opposite the connecting portion ll of cane slot 5. The shoulder piece 4 is then in a position to be latched to the crossarm 2.

In the latching operation the pants holder bridge 2| is raised out of the long cane slot arm i6, is moved over the hump I1, and is lowered into the short slot arm l5. In this position the pants holder bridge 2| will be contained in notch 8 as well as in the adjacent shoulder cane slot arms l5, as appears in Figs. 1 and 2. In this position the shoulder piece will be latched to the crossarm. In releasing a shoulder piece from the notch of the crossarm to permit further adjustments, the pants holder bridge 2| is again moved to the lower part of the long slot arm |6, and the crossarm is moved again through the shoulder piece as before. Notches 8 are sufficiently large enough to permit free and unbinding movement of the bridge 2| of the pants holder during the latching operation.

In cases where it is desired to manufacture this garment hanger without pants holders, a suitable headed pin 21, such as is shown in the enlarged view in Fig. 6, may be used in lieu of the pants holder bridge 2| as the means for latching the shoulder piece in its several positions along the cross arm.

In Fig. 7 there is disclosed another form which the invention may take. In this form each shoulder piece is adjustable to various notch positions on its crossarm by means of a pawl in the lower extended portion of the tapered, end Q1:

4 the shoulder. This pawl cooperates with notches along the lower wall of the crossarm.

Referring to Fig. 7 there is shown pivoted at 28 in the lower extension 29 of the tapered end of the shoulder piece 30 a pawl 3|. A V leaf spring 32 constantly tensions pawl 3| anticlockwise causing the pawltooth 33 to be constantly engaged with one of a series of notches 34 along the bottom of the crossarm 35. When it is desired to adjust the position of the shoulder piece along the crossarm, the pawl tooth 33 is released from the notch by pressure against the pawl. arm 36 to compress the V spring 32.

While I have disclosed what I consider to be highly desirable embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that some changes in form could be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I therefore do not limit myself to the forms herein shown and described; nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as herein set 'forth and as hereinafter claimed, and it is my intention to claim all that may reasonably be within the spirit and scope of the invention.

' I claim:

1. The combination in an adjustable clothes hanger of the character described, of a cross piece member-having a pair of oppositely sloping similar arms and provided with notches uniformly spaced along the lower walls of said arms,- a shoulder piece carried on and slidable along each cross arm, each shoulder piece being trough like with side walls and having one end broad and the other end tapered, each sloping arm being contained in the trough of its shoulder piece and intermediately of'the sidewalls of the shoulder piece, each shoulder piece having a pair of opposed aligned cane slots in the side walls of its tapered end, each cane slot having a short arm joined by a bridge to a long arm, the lowermost portions of the long arms extending below the lower walls of the slopping arms, each shoulder piece being slideable on its respective sloping arm whereby its opposed cane slots may be aligned with a selected notch of the sloping arm, and a pair of pants holders each having a bridge section carried by the cane slots of each shoulder piece, the bridge section being adapted to move in the aligned cane slots whereby when the bridge section is contained in the short arms of the cane slots and an aligned notch of the sloping arm the shoulder piece is latched to the sloping arm, and when the bridge section is contained in the lowermost portions of the long cane slot arms it is out of any notch of the cross arm and the related shoulder piece is unlatched from its sloping arm and is free to be moved along its related sloping arm.

2. In combination with the opposed sloping arms of a crosspiece element in a garment hanger of the character described including a series of uniformly spaced notches along the bottom walls of the sloping arms, a simulated shoulder form of light weight material having a convexed upper surface, said shoulder form being broad at one end and tapered at the other, the tapered end having side walls forming an oblong slot for receiving a sloping arm of the crosspiece element,

' the side walls of the shoulder form having a pair of opposed and aligned cane slots alignable with the notches of a sloping arm each cane slot having a short arm joined by a bridge to a long arm and the long arms extending below the lower wall of the sloping arm, and latching means carried by the cane slots for latching the shoulder form in any selected notch of the sloping arm, said latching means comprising a pants holder having a hairpin shaped spring section carried in and movable in the cane'slots.

3. In the combination of a simulated slideable shoulder form having opposed side walls with the notched crossarm of a garment hanger of the type described, the notched crossarm being contained intermediately of the side walls of the shoulder form, adjustable latching means for ing below the lower wall of the cross arm and said shoulder form being latched to the crossarm when the bridge section of the pants holder is in the short arm of the cane slots and an aligned notch of the crossarm, and said shoulder form being in unlatched position when the bridge section is located in the lowermost portion of the long arm of the cane slots and below any notch of the crossarm.

4. A garment hanger comprising in combination, a supporting crosspiece element including a pair of oppositelysloping arms, each sloping arm having a series of notches uniformly spaced in its lower wall, a simulated shoulder form carried on and adjustably slideable on each of the sloping arms, the shoulder forms being trough like with side walls and the cross arms being contained intermediately of the side walls, the said side walls being opposed to one another and each wall containing a cane slot, the cane slot in each wall being in opposed alignment with one another, said cane slots each having a short arm joined by a bridge to a long arm, the lowermost portions of the long arms extending below the lower walls of the sloping arm elements, the cane slot arms being alignable with any selected notch of a slop-ing arm, and latching means car ried in each pair of opposed cane slots and moveable from the short arms of a pair of opposed cane slots to the long arms, said latching means when contained in a pair of short arms of the cane slots of a shoulder form and an aligned notch of an intermediate sloping arm servin to latch the shoulder form to the sloping arm, and said latching means when contained in the lowermost portion of a pair of long arms serving to allow the shoulder form free sliding movement along its related sloping arm.

5. In a garment hanger of the type described and including sloping arms having notches in the lower walls thereof a simulated shoulder form of light weight material having a convened upper surface, being broad and flared at one end and tapered at the other end, the tapered end having opposed side walls forming an oblong slot, the side walls of the shoulder form having a pair of opposed and aligned cane slots, the can slots each having a short arm bridged to a long arm, and a pants holder, the pants holder comprising in combination a pair of clamping elements and a hairpin shaped bridge member joining the clamping elements, the bridge of the hairpin shaped member being carried in the pair of opposed cane slots, and said bridge being moveable from the short arms of the cane slots to the long arms.

ALFRED MACALUSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,422,782 Rattan July 11, 1922 2,446,312 Usina Aug. 3, 1948 

